I have never been able to work out why some drive with arms outside of the vehicle doing the roof, even grabbing and holding the roof rack rails or door holding thing.
Is it just the, 'Look at me, I'm in a car looking cool' pose, or is there more to it?
Hardly ever see lady drivers doing this.
Must be a knuckle dragging male testosterone thing!
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your arm deflects air into the car...left over from times before aircon
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WP - It is not the older driver I am seeing this with - it is the boy racers.
There is that American image to go with it too.
Envision: Left hand centre of steering wheel, window open, music blaring, right arm hanging from roof rack rail.
Just looks like the ape it is hanging out of its tree.
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Superman flies with his arm raised
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www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?f=2&t=75...7
Hope the link works but there seems to an outbreak of hanging onto the roof! I do agree about the ape man comment, good one!
JH
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So, it's something done by old geezers. Oh, and whippernappers. And I seem to remember from the hilarious description of Madeira taxi drivers' demeanour in the fifties by a bloke I was at school with that it can be something done by, er, comic foreigners. Of course the ape image helps here. No women so far but they will come I'm sure.
Help! Smokie and HJ, close the thread before it degenerates into a stream of vile bigoted slanders!
Snigger...
Edited by Lud on 03/06/2009 at 20:52
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you beat me to it lud
if women dont do this then this thread shut be shut
also sniggers
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Was made illegal in Australia decades ago after many lost their arms in accidents. This was before aircon was common in cars.
Edited by Old Navy on 03/06/2009 at 20:56
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I used to do it. I dont now as the open window upsets the climate control. But to please you guys and give you something to moan about, I'll turn off the CC and startt doing it again for you.
Pass me the vine, I'll just swing to another tree.
PS its been a while since someone moaned about spleelin txt spk n punctewashun.
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i was told by a wagon driver many years ago not to do this because it will cause arthuritus
strangely he was called arthur but i headed his advice and stopped it as i could see it made sense
now as ae says i just set the climate control
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now as ae says i just set the climate control
... and get sinus problems and schweinhund flu instead...
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i sold a car today with manual air conditioning
i showed them how to wind the window down
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An interesting question Tron, and the answers are manifold no doubt!
I used to do this from 30 or more years ago, I can't really give you an answer cept to say it may be a sort of longing for the wind in your hair feeling upon two wheels?
I can still be found doing it now on the 'odd' occasion - yep! left hand on the round thing and right limb dangling loosely out the window to feel the wind! bit like sticking ones head out of the window on a train as a kyd!!
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My limited experience is that this was a chacteristic of Eastern Mediterranean taxi drivers (Cyprus, Greece and Crete) and I think it was done make them look macho and casual, at the same time. Could have been the aircon thing too.
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It's a practice that should never be condemned.
It's a sign of rebellion against the restraints put upon us by the nanny state!
We want to be free, we'll never be completely tethered however much they try.
More power to their elbow:)
I do it too!
Pat
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Have always put this habit down to an American cop series and that the people copying this did not realise that the driver was on the left hand side of the car.
ndbw
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are you sure the cop wasnt holding the blue light on due to poor magnetic force residues in the roof material?
Edited by Pugugly on 03/06/2009 at 23:39
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I do the holding roof on thing when driving the Allegro. In fact I probably NEED to hold the roof on.
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I can never understand why people roll the window half way down and rest their elbow on the glass. Now that must be REALLY comfortable!
Another one that puzzles me and looks just as daft are the convertible drivers with the roof down and the windows up. Why? That makes as much sense to me as taking a shower wearing underpants and a hat. Too windy with the windows down? Buy a tin top with air con then. I have a car with T tops and the way I work it is:
Warm - driver side window down
Very warm - both windows down
Very very warm - both windows down and roof off
I never feel the urge to raise both arms in roof off mode a la big dipper ride ;-)
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...Another one that puzzles me and looks just as daft are the convertible drivers with the roof down and the windows up. Why?...
Captain,
Same reason as a car has different gears or a ventilation fan different speeds - it's all a matter of degree.
In your post, you say you have routines for warm, very warm etc,.
Well, so do us drivers of proper convertibles. :)
I find roof down/windows up good for faster running, up to motorway speeds.
Windows up is also slightly cosier, say on the way home after a run out and it starts to get a bit chilly.
It's just a matter of degrees of openness - it doesn't have to be all or nothing.
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People who 'cuddle' their steering wheels amaze me. You see them driving with their hands joined at the top of the wheel and their fore-arms resting on the top half of the wheel. To get into this position I have to bend forward a long way making it very uncomfortable and I cannot see how they can be in complete control. They must sit very close to the wheel to be able to do this.
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OK, while we're spotting oddities, why do people lean (like they are on a m/bike) when they are cornering, even slowly? Or at least tilt their head..
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OK while we're spotting oddities why do people lean (like they are on a m/bike) when they are cornering even slowly? Or at least tilt their head...
...and then swing out to the right hand lane when turning left?!
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>>...and then swing out to the right hand lane when turning left?!<<
Happened to me today,left indicator on,as I prepared to pass he swung to the right!But it was a taxi.........
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People who 'cuddle' their steering wheels amaze me. You see them driving with their hands joined at the top of the wheel and their fore-arms resting on the top half of the wheel.
Drivers in cars following me who do this worry me. I worry about how much control they have of the steering.
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Is it just the 'Look at me I'm in a car looking cool' pose ......
When I do it, then "Yes"!
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>>> Drivers in cars following me who do this worry me. I worry about how much control they have of the steering. <<<
Don't worry about it comrade, It's called the preying mantis position - I know about these things!
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>> the preying mantis position
So what is the have the seat reclined and as low as you can get it so your head is just visible?
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>>> So what is the have the seat reclined and as low as you can get it so your head is just visible? <<<
Oh, he's just an idiot ... Back in the 80's, I used to tune a few cars @ LWT - mostly for the security guys, One chap - Tom I think it was, he used to have his seat reclined in the idiot position, I'm 6ft but there was no way I could drive like that - he was quite tall was Tom, probably bout 6' 4" I would say - he used to do some journey btw, from Slough, Bucks to LWT, which is in between Blackfriars Bridge & Waterloo Bridge in Sarth Eeast London, well, it was back then anyway.
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I used to wind the window down and use rest my arm on the edge of the opening in my old Land Rover 90, but only because it had so little elbow room.
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